A laptop stolen from a UW-La Crosse student this week-end might not be terribly useful depending on the thief. Police say the 21 year-old victim's from Jordan. The thief grabbed two laptops, nearly two grand in cash, title to the victim's car and his passport from a broken safe while the victim lay sleeping. The one laptop may wind up in the dumpster, though; characters on the keys are all in Arabic. Police think they may have a suspect.

Internecine warfare among unions? Not in La Crosse. Head of the Service Employees union in city hall, Rich Smith, denies there's friction between his union and the police and fire unions, just because protective services are exempt from a new law restricting collective bargaining for most public employees. In fact, Smith hopes cops and firefighters can avoid the eventual fate his members face. An organization of cities last week asked lawmakers to change the law to remove some exemptions from police and fire unions, citing friction brewing among unions statewide. Because of a court challenge in Dane county, the law has yet to take effect.

After season number two, an alternate side parking exemption test area around UW La Crosse seems to have only resulted in more tickets and narrower streets. City public works director Dale Hexom says consensus seems to be building behind the idea that the trial simply isn't working. An official report on the test area is still coming. This season, alternate side parking tickets in the area doubled over last year.

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is predicting voter turnout of 20 percent for the Spring Election tomorrow. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Lacrosse City Clerk Terri Lehrke says this election is a hard one to predict.....so extra ballots have been brought in.

Voters statewide will be electing a Supreme Court justice. Locally, they will be electing circuit court judges as well as town, village, city, county and school board officials. Voters will also have special partisan primary elections for the May 3rd Special Election, in which vacant seats will be filled in Assembly Districts 94.

Lehrke says a 30 percent turnout is her gut feeling but ordered enough ballots to cover a 43 percent turnout.

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